Published: 23:42, 5 Dec 2023Updated: 23:43, 5 Dec 2023
Mikel Arteta didn’t provide a straight answer when asked about David Raya’s struggles during Arsenal’s win at Luton.
Arsenal claimed a dramatic last-gasp win at Kenilworth Road with Declan Rice’s stoppage-time winner securing the the 4-3 triumph.
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Raya will have been the most relieved man inside Kenilworth Road at full time as his errors almost cost Arsenal valuable pointsCredit: Getty
But Rice’s heroics were only required as the Gunners found themselves 3-2 down on 57 minutes, with errors by Raya leading to two goals for Luton.
Raya found himself in no man’s land as he failed to collect the ball from a corner on the right, allowing Elijah Adebayo to make it 2-2.
The Spanish goalkeeper was found wanting again as Ross Barkley’s low left-footed effort squirmed under his body and into the net.
Kai Havertz made it 3-3 before Rice snatched the win for Arteta’s men, who are now five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
But as Arsenal bid to win their first league title in 20 years there will naturally be concerns about Raya’s woes, especially amid the debate on whether it should be him or Aaron Ramsdale as the first choice keeper.
The stats don’t make for pleasant reading as Raya was handed a WhoScored rating of 4.07 for his performance at Luton, which is the lowest rating by any player in a Premier League match this season.
Gunners boss Arteta refused to criticise his man, although he didn’t address Raya’s form on Tuesday night when asked.
When asked if two of Luton’s goals were gifted to them, Arteta told Amazon Prime Sport: “I am so happy with the team.”
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This is the first time Arsenal have conceded three goals this seasonCredit: Getty
When asked if he’d spoken to Raya, Arteta added: “I’ve spoken to all of them, they are jumping, they are so happy so I am a really happy manager today.”
However, Arteta suggested in the same interview that he wasn’t happy with how they conceded their goals.
He said: “So happy. We knew it was going to be a big battle here and we made it harder for ourselves the way we conceded the goals, obviously.
“But the spirit of the team, how we fought, the quality we showed in the right moments and we never gave up. It’s all about that. We’re willing to take risks in every game, we go for it and we got rewarded big time today.”
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There were jubilant scenes in the Arsenal camp at full timeCredit: Getty
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But the fact Arsenal have conceded five goals this season directly from errors in the Premier League, more than any other team, will be a major concernCredit: AFP
Arteta added: “It happens [conceding three goals in a match], credit to them… their deliveries were excellent, their finishing was excellent.
“Sometimes we just need to applaud the opponent and credit to them because they are a really difficult side to beat. Big compliments to the way they play because it was a tough night.”
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